George Wakeman
Encyclopedia
Sir George Wakeman was an English royal physician
to Catherine of Braganza
, Consort of Charles II of England
. In 1678, he was perjured by Titus Oates
, who had gained backing of Thomas Osborne, 1st Earl of Danby, highly placed in government. Oates accused Wakeman of conspiring to kill the King with the help of and place his brother James, Duke of York on the throne in his place. At his trial in 1679 Wakeman was acquitted.
, and was imprisoned until the eve of the Restoration
.
On 13 February 1661, as Wakeman of Beckford, he was created a baronet
by Charles II, though it seems that the patent was never sealed. In August 1668 he was attending Sir Joseph Williamson; his appointment some two years later as physician in ordinary to Queen Catherine of Braganza is attributed to his high reputation for a Roman Catholic physician in England.
In their perjured narrative of the Popish Plot
, Titus Oates and Israel Tonge
declared that Wakeman had been offered £10,000 to poison Charles II's posset
, and that he could easily effect this through the agency of the queen. The story went that Wakeman refused the task, and held out until £15,000 was offered him. Then, they said, he attended the "Jesuit consult" on 30 August 1678, received a large sum of money on account, and, the further reward of a post as physician-general in the army having been promised him, he definitely engaged to poison the king. Wakeman was indicted for high treason at the Old Bailey
on 18 July 1679, the case being tried by Lord Chief Justice William Scroggs
. The chief witnesses for the prosecution were William Bedloe
and Oates, who swore that he had seen the paper appointing Wakeman to the post of physician-general. It was elicited from him in the course of the proceedings that he was incapable at the time alluded to of identifying either Wakeman's person or his handwriting. Scroggs commented severely upon the character of the evidence, and the jury, after asking if they might find the prisoners guilty of misprision of treason
, and being told they could not, found all the prisoners not guilty.
The acquittal dealt a blow at credibility of the "Plot", but there was a public backlash also. Wakeman went to Windsor to see the queen and king, and left the country. In the course of evidence given at subsequent trials Oates entirely ignored the verdict, and continued to speak of the bribe offered to and accepted by the queen's physician. Wakeman was back in London by 1685, and gave evidence against Oates on 8 May 1685, in his first trial for perjury
. Nothing is known of his further career.
He is Owen Bartletts ancestor.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
to Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza was a Portuguese infanta and queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles II.She married the king in 1662...
, Consort of Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. In 1678, he was perjured by Titus Oates
Titus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
, who had gained backing of Thomas Osborne, 1st Earl of Danby, highly placed in government. Oates accused Wakeman of conspiring to kill the King with the help of and place his brother James, Duke of York on the throne in his place. At his trial in 1679 Wakeman was acquitted.
Life
He was the son of Edward Wakeman (1592–1659) of the Inner Temple, by Mary (d. 1676), daughter of Richard Cotton of Warblington, Sussex. George Wakeman was Roman Catholic, and was educated abroad, probably in Paris, where he possibly graduated in medicine. Like his elder brother Richard (d. 1662), who raised a troop of horse for the king, he was a staunch royalist. On his return to England he became involved in a plot against Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, and was imprisoned until the eve of the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
.
On 13 February 1661, as Wakeman of Beckford, he was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
by Charles II, though it seems that the patent was never sealed. In August 1668 he was attending Sir Joseph Williamson; his appointment some two years later as physician in ordinary to Queen Catherine of Braganza is attributed to his high reputation for a Roman Catholic physician in England.
In their perjured narrative of the Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
, Titus Oates and Israel Tonge
Israel Tonge
Israel Tonge , aka Ezerel or Ezreel Tongue, was an English divine and an informer in the "Popish" plot. He was born at Tickhill, near Doncaster, the son of Henry Tongue, minister of Holtby, Yorkshire...
declared that Wakeman had been offered £10,000 to poison Charles II's posset
Posset
A posset was a British hot drink of milk curdled with wine or ale, often spiced, which was popular from medieval times to the 19th century...
, and that he could easily effect this through the agency of the queen. The story went that Wakeman refused the task, and held out until £15,000 was offered him. Then, they said, he attended the "Jesuit consult" on 30 August 1678, received a large sum of money on account, and, the further reward of a post as physician-general in the army having been promised him, he definitely engaged to poison the king. Wakeman was indicted for high treason at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
on 18 July 1679, the case being tried by Lord Chief Justice William Scroggs
William Scroggs
Sir William Scroggs , Lord Chief Justice of England, was the son of an Oxford landowner; an account of him being the son of a butcher of sufficient means to give his son a university education is merely a rumour....
. The chief witnesses for the prosecution were William Bedloe
William Bedloe
William Bedloe was an English fraudster and informer, born at Chepstow.He appears to have been well educated; he was certainly clever, and after moving to London in 1670 he became acquainted with some Jesuits and was occasionally employed by them...
and Oates, who swore that he had seen the paper appointing Wakeman to the post of physician-general. It was elicited from him in the course of the proceedings that he was incapable at the time alluded to of identifying either Wakeman's person or his handwriting. Scroggs commented severely upon the character of the evidence, and the jury, after asking if they might find the prisoners guilty of misprision of treason
Misprision of treason
Misprision of treason is an offence found in many common law jurisdictions around the world, having been inherited from English law. It is committed by someone who knows a treason is being or is about to be committed but does not report it to a proper authority...
, and being told they could not, found all the prisoners not guilty.
The acquittal dealt a blow at credibility of the "Plot", but there was a public backlash also. Wakeman went to Windsor to see the queen and king, and left the country. In the course of evidence given at subsequent trials Oates entirely ignored the verdict, and continued to speak of the bribe offered to and accepted by the queen's physician. Wakeman was back in London by 1685, and gave evidence against Oates on 8 May 1685, in his first trial for perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
. Nothing is known of his further career.
He is Owen Bartletts ancestor.
Further reading
- J. P. Kenyon. "The acquittal of Sir George Wakeman: 18 July 1679". The Historical Journal, 1971.